Knights of Revenge
by Barna88
Summary: Darren and Derek Rongby studied to become specialists in an uncertain world. They wanted peace but were found too radical and were defeated. Darren died, while Derek returns after 30 years to get his revenge. Takes place after season 2.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Winx Club and all rights related belong to Ignio Staffi and Rainbow Studios. The story was written entirely for entertainment, not for making money.

The story is rated M because of violence and potentially upsetting descriptions in the final episode.

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**Knights of Revenge**

**Prologue**

This night is nothing at all like the nights there usually are at this time of the year. It's neither quiet nor peaceful. The rain's pouring down from thick, dark clouds, making a major difference with the usual weather. All who live in the forest, where our story begins, are taking shelter from the rain. Still, sounds of branches cracking can be heard across the forest, frightening the few animals still out there. Nobody can be seen, though. Not a single shadow that could help detecting the source of the noises. But it's for sure that someone is on his way through the forest foliage.

There's a small clearing in the middle of the forest. Whoever the trespasser is, he's getting closer and closer to the clearing, the sounds of cracking becoming louder and louder. Eventually, some movement can be seen. A shadow appears at the edge of the forest, jumping from tree to tree. When he finally reaches the last one, a great, old oak, he observes the whole clearing before descending to the ground.

A boy walks to the center of the clearing. He's about twenty years old. He's wearing simple, dark and thin clothes, already soaking wet from the rain just like his short, brown hair. He doesn't seem to care much about it, though. When he reaches the center of the clearing, he starts to walk up and down just as if he was waiting for something – or someone.

Whatever he's waiting for, it's not coming. The boy's been walking up and down for so long that a whole lesson could be held in the school for fairies nearby. Nevertheless, he doesn't seem to be impatient at all.

Suddenly, there's a rattle at the opposite edge of the clearing. When the boy turns in the direction of the sound, he can see another figure in the shadow of the trees. He can only make out its outline, nodding its head slowly.

When the boy gets closer, he can make out the stranger's details. There's a tall, cloaked man in the shadows where he's protected from the rain. His cloak is not tied on his shoulders, where it should be, but a little higher, somewhere below his nose. But his nose cannot be seen behind his bone-white mask, which covers all of his face. There are only two little holes on it for his odd eyes. One of them is blue and cold as ice – but at least it's the eye of a human. The other one is more like one of a reptile. The yellow eyeball is bisected only by a thin pupil in it.

"What a joy you'd come," the man says but his voice sounds rather mechanical. His mouth doesn't move at all. "I hope you didn't have to wait too much."

"Didn't have anything better to do. Why did you call me here?"

"I have an offer for you. Should you accept it, both of us could gain much with it."

"You know something useful for me? You're making me curious."

"I've been watching you for some time now. You have strength and power. I don't know if there's another fighter this good. I would be honored if you helped me."

"And what's in this for me?"

"Our goals may seem different. I want revenge on some people who defeated me once… and my brother as well. On the contrary, you are simply hunting someone who could be a great challenge for you in battle…"

"How do you know?" the boy suddenly asks. He seems really surprised.

"I know a lot my young friend."

"Right. To the point!"

"As I have already said, our goals may seem different but they are not. Taken into account that your prey has killed many of your friends, you are also seeking revenge in a matter of fact. Just like me."

"Yes…"

"Join my side! Be my ally! Help me fulfill my revenge and you will also have the chance to fulfill yours."

"What?" the boy asks in excitement and grabs the cloak of the man. "You know where he is?"

The man nods slowly.

"I know where your target is. And I know he's busy getting used to a new power he acquired recently. I can teach that kind of power to you as well and you will have the chance to confront him. That is, if you join my side."

The boy thinks for a few seconds. The offer is really tempting.

"Where is he?"

"He became the student of a school nearby. But you don't have anything to worry about. One of my targets is also located there, so I will initiate an attack on that school. You can take your part in the assault and find your prey."

The boy starts to grin and lets the cloak of the man go.

"Sounds good. Count me in."

"Perfect. In this case, please, follow me. There are some details to be worked out but I think we can attack in a couple of days. The others are sure to accept you in our little company…"

"The others?"

"They are specially talented men and women who will help us. You will meet them soon enough. I'm sure you'll make good friends."

The man starts to walk in the direction he probably came from, the boy following him. Some moments later they both disappear in the darkness of the forest.


	2. Flora's Friend

**Episode I: The Fall of the Three**

**Chapter 1: Flora's Friend**

It's a beautiful morning. The storm, which was raging near the school of Alfea a couple of days ago, is gone. The shining sun is reflected by puddles, gathered in the yard of the large building, remaining sole witnesses of what happened the last couple of nights. But they hide it as well. The footprints from the ground of the nearby forest were completely washed away by the seemingly never ending rain.

There's not a single soul on the corridors. Everyone is sitting in one of the classrooms, trying to pay attention to the lesson – but not for much longer. The bells soon ring and the corridors are immediately swarming with life. Some are talking about what they heard – or couldn't hear – during their class, while others are preparing for their upcoming tests, although it's not an easy task with so much noise around them.

Six girls come out of a classroom, a couple of minutes after the rest. Members of the Winx have been waiting for Bloom who had to ask for another explanation of the lesson's subject. Their professor responded in a positive manner, agreeing that understanding the secrets of transferring thoughts is difficult and rare to be achieved after hearing it once.

"I still don't quite get it," Bloom says, thinking the explanation over and over in her mind. "I've seen people hearing each others' thoughts in movies. But I've never heard about actually seeing what the other is seeing."

"It seems people in your world don't have enough fantasy for these kinds of things," Stella counters. "But I'm thinking about nothing but the afternoon."

"Yeah, we could guess," Musa says, followed by agreeing nods from the others. "You told us at least a hundred times how you'll enjoy the plaza."

"A hundred and twenty-nine times," Techna corrects her, making the group laugh.

Of course… Why wouldn't they be in such a good mood? They don't have many classes today, so they should finish by noon. And after that, they are going to spend the whole afternoon with their specialist friends from Red Fountain. Could they even want more than that?

They could. If only these morning classes ended a little sooner… It feels like an eternity before they end at last. When they do, all the fairies flood the corridors in a blink of the eye.

Stella is already full of energy. She immediately rushes to her room, leaving the others behind. By the time her friends catch up with her, she's already looking through her wardrobe.

"What should I wear?" she murmurs, throwing one piece of clothing after the other to the floor. "Not this… Not a chance… No way…"

"Is there a problem, Stella?" Bloom asks.

"Problem? There's nothing but problems. I don't even have a thing to wear."

Musa looks at the growing pile in front of the wardrobe.

"Well, not a thing, exactly. All you have are expensive and beautiful clothes you are throwing away so easily."

"Please, Bloom, I beg you, please help me. I have to wear something. And please, be quick about it. The guys will arrive at any second."

After browsing through Bloom's wardrobe, Stella is forced to pick some clothes from the pile on the floor. She is the last to finish getting ready. She catches up with the others in the yard, making their way to the front gates, chatting happily and making up plans for the afternoon. The only one not sharing their joy is Flora.

"Are you still concerned about Helia?" Bloom asks, when she notices her friend's unhappiness.

Flora merely nods at first, but starts to speak a few moments later.

"I've heard nothing from him in a long time. It seems he doesn't have any interest in me anymore."

Bloom doesn't have an answer for that. She'd like to argue, to comfort her friend, saying she couldn't have been forgotten. But how could she do it, if she didn't know anything about Helia either? Flora suddenly stops.

"Maybe it isn't such a good idea–"

"No way!" Bloom objects, pushing her further towards the front gate. "Don't think we're going to leave you here. I spoke with Sky yesterday and he said they'd bring a new guy along. You may even get along really well."

Meanwhile, a specialist arrives at the front gate of Alfea, travelling on a speeder (or whatever those vehicles are called). He stops and turns in the direction he came from, waiting for the others. His face cannot be seen under his helmet. He's wearing simple, dark clothes, with a black band on his right wrist (the thing worn by tennis players to avoid injuries to their wrists). The girls approach him while he's waiting.

"You sure got here really fast," Stella says, attracting his attention. "Now, who could be under the helmet? No doubt, it's Brandon."

"Don't even think about it," Musa says. "I'm sure it's Riven."

Bloom also joins in with her guess.

"I don't think so. It's obvious he can only be Sky."

The specialist keeps turning his head from one girl to another. He seems not to understand what they are talking about. Finally, he asks:

"Do you greet the first to arrive always like this?"

The specialist's voice isn't like that of Sky, Brandon, nor Riven. The girls stand beside him, confused. At last, Techna starts to speak.

"Sorry, I'm afraid we mixed you up with someone else."

Three more speeders appear on the path leading to Alfea. Three more specialists arrive, parking alongside their friend. The first one of them takes his helmet off, blonde hair glowing in the sun. It's Sky.

"Man, how could you leave us behind so easily?" he asks the stranger with a little annoyance in his voice.

"You don't dare to take full advantage of the width of the path. There's nothing I can do about it. And you didn't even tell me the girls would be waiting for us. I'd have pushed a little harder if I knew that."

The fairies listen to the conversation with great interest. A specialist who is defeating Sky and the others in a speeder competition?

"Where's Timmy?" Techna asks.

"He couldn't keep up," Brandon answers, looking back through his shoulder. "We could only get speeders and he doesn't really like them. He'll be here shortly."

"We're not leaving without him," Sky says, turning toward the stranger once again. "You can get off that speeder and make yourself comfortable."

"Oh my, am I still sitting on this thing? I was feeling so numb I completely forgot."

The stranger gets off his speeder. He's about as tall as the others. He takes his helmet off as well, revealing his short brown hair beneath. He doesn't look more than twenty years old. He looks at the girls with his brown eyes, then bows.

"How rude I am for not introducing myself," he says. "My name's Bart. Nice to meet you."

The girls greet him one by one. There's a flicker of anticipation in Flora's eyes but not as strong as in Layla's. There's no doubt which one of them has more interest in a speeder competition.

"We could get only five speeders, so one of them will have to carry three people," Brandon says. "You'll have to decide, which one, until we wait for Timmy."

Most of the fairies have already known who they wanted to travel with. Only Flora and Layla think about their choices before deciding they would travel with Bart. Eventually, Timmy arrives, too.

"Sorry, if you had to wait for too long," he says. "I have to get used to the speeder."

The others don't want to waste any more time. Who knows how many clothes Stella could buy while they waited for Timmy? They get on the speeders quickly, setting off to the nearby town. They are in such a hurry that none of them notices a little pixie, fighting with all her might to get to the director of Alfea.

The girls spend a beautiful, carefree afternoon in town. Stella immediately hurries toward the plaza, while the others take a walk and sit on the terrace of a cafeteria. The girls all want to know more about Bart, so they ask him question after question. They find out that he lives in a small house farther from the business of the town with his little sister and his parents. For a long time, it seemed that his powers lie deeply hidden or don't exist at all. When those powers appeared a couple of days ago, his parents had him enrolled in Red Fountain. He met Sky and the others in the school who invited him for a little leisure this afternoon.

"He proved to be reliable, so we thought you'd get along," says Sky, interrupting Bart's account. "But he ruined our expectations when he got to Alfea first."

Everyone smiles at this comment. "But I didn't even take any risks," Bart says, raising his hands defensively. "If you told me the girls would be waiting for us, I'd have ridden that speeder much faster." Hearing that, smiles give way to laughs, lasting for quite a while.

"And what do you like doing in your free time?" Layla asks.

"There are lots of things that interest me. You don't want to know how many textbooks I have at home about almost everything. But I really like helping out in the garden."

Flora's eyes sparkle immediately. She's the one asking the next couple of questions, while Layla is at a loss for words. Eventually, they leave the cafeteria for the plaza. But as they get there, Bart starts to feel uneasy.

"What's the problem?" Musa asks as he stops just a couple of meters from the entrance.

"I'm not the type who likes to spend his money on himself. Shopping in the store around the corner is no problem, but the plaza is just not my world."

"If you say so," Timmy says. "But wait for us, will you?"

"Of course."

Bart starts to walk towards a nearby park, while the others go into the plaza. As he gets out of hearing range, the other specialists turn to the fairies and ask: "Opinions?"

Layla only shrugs her shoulders. In the meantime, Flora's face shows indescribable joy.

"Amazing. It was a good idea to come after all," she says as they walk the corridors of the plaza and look for Stella.


	3. A School Defeated

**Chapter 2: A School Defeated**

At the end of the carefree afternoon the boys take the fairies back to Alfea before going back to Red Fountain. They are immediately discouraged, though, when they see a grumbling Griselda by the school gates.

"At last you're here!" she exclaims in place of a greeting. "I hope you had fun because the director is waiting for you. She wants to talk about a really important issue."

Griselda turns around and walks into the school, the fairies following him. They head for the director's office, but only the members of the Winx enter the room. Faragonda is sitting behind her table, watching the fairies above her fingers which are put together like a tent. When the door closes behind Layla, she stands up.

"I'm sorry for summoning you at this hour but I didn't have any other choice. The situation is troubling, so I had to wait for Alfea's best team–"

"You mean you have a task for us and we can skip classes?" Stella asks, eyes sparkling.

"I mean I have a task for you and you can finish it in one night. You won't need to skip any of your classes tomorrow."

Faragonda's voice sounds so worried, Bloom gets goose bumps hearing it.

"Miss, you are frightening us. What happened?"

"The Cloud Tower has been attacked."

The short response shocks the girls. They are at a loss for words for a while. Finally, Techna breaks the silence:

"Attacked by who? And why?"

"I don't know that, either. The message arrived this afternoon. It was brought by a pixie, still treated for exhaustion. You are to go to the Cloud Tower and–"

"You can count on us," Bloom declares. "We won't let the Cloud Tower to be defeated."

When the fairies rush out of the room, Faragonda sits back to her table. She puts her fingers together again, takes a deep breath, murmuring to herself:

"Just don't get too disappointed…"

Flying, the Winx get to the Cloud Tower soon. Though they are still quite far away, one thing, that really should be here, is obviously missing. They turn their heads from one side to the other, searching for it in vain. Where are the attackers?

"Oh, my!" Flora exclaims. "Could we be late?"

The gates of the school are wide open, making the lack of attackers even more troubling. The disastrous state of all the other parts of the building seems to prove Flora as well. Several of its towers have collapsed. The walls are full of huge holes, indicating powerful impacts. The school and the surrounding grounds seem totally deserted.

"No one's here," Techna says. "Maybe we should go back to Alfea and report to Miss Faragonda that we arrived too late–"

"No way!" Stella objects. "I hate nothing more than to be sent somewhere I'm not needed. And I'm not in the mood to sit and listen to those boring classes tomorrow. So let's hang around a little and we can say that we got home late at night and are tired."

"I agree with you partially," Bloom says. "We're staying–"

"Yes! I knew you'll understand me."

"But we aren't staying only to get back late at night. There's got to be someone in the school, so we're going to look around. And then, we can go back."

Entering the gates, they get to a dark corridor. There are small piles of rubble all along the sides, piling at the bases of the walls. Stella leads the way, her light-emitting staff in her hands. Darkness flees from them first, only to return and follow them from behind. They can see almost nothing outside the range of the light Stella is holding. If there was someone else here… They would offer a perfect target for him.

They look into every room they come across, but only to find even more proof of the destruction the Cloud Tower has suffered. The school's inhabitants are gone, teachers and students alike. They are almost at the point to turn back when Flora opens a last door. At the same moment a curse flies out of the room beyond, hits the wall on the other side of the corridor and increases the size of the pile of rubble.

"Don't! Stop it!" Stella exclaims. "We are here to help!"

The outlines of a witch can soon be made out through the cloud of dust, made by the impact of the curse. Her face shows fear and exhaustion, her short red hair looks matted. She's looking at the fairies like she couldn't believe her own green eyes.

"Mirta?" Bloom recognizes her after looking over her.

"You… You're really here?" Mirta whispers in faint voice before collapsing to the floor.

Frightened, the fairies surround her. She looks like she's in really bad shape. Apart from exhaustion, her body is full of scars and bruises. The fairies don't understand how she could stay conscious for so long.

"What happened here?" Bloom tries to ask gently. "This place looks like it was bombarded with catapults."

"With what?" Stella asks.

"Catapults. They are siege machines that can throw huge boulders–"

"So that's what they were," Mirta whispers. "Giant rocks rained the walls all afternoon. Soldiers came, wearing armor and wielding shields… We couldn't… We couldn't cast any spells…"

"What?" the fairies ask at once, all with confusion.

"I suddenly felt like my powers have been stripped from me… And the others looked like the same as well…"

"Then what was this curse only a couple of minutes before?" asks Musa.

"Even I was surprised when it worked. So one of those women had to do something with that…"

"Women?" Layla asks. "What women are you talking about?"

"There were two women with the armored people. One of them led the soldiers into the school. They knocked everyone unconscious and took them, even our director. The other woman didn't move away from those machines."

The fairies look at each other. They are late. The Cloud Tower has fallen. Apart from Mirta, all withes were taken. And they don't have a clue where they were taken.

"Right," Layla says, stretching her arm toward Mirta. "You are coming with us."


End file.
